The scary data behind McLaren’s new rocket ship

Lando Norris winning the Australian GP after the various scenarios that unfolded during the race, proved that, as long as they avoid mistakes, he and McLaren can clearly be contenders for both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

The race in Melbourne was a mix of changing conditions – wet track, dry track but still on intermediate tyres, a few laps on slicks… yet in all these scenarios, the big winner was the McLaren team.

Australian Grand Prix: A race dripping in chaos

Although, naturally, the risk and uncertainty of these mixed conditions reduced and ultimately prevented an easy 1-2 finish with Norris and Oscar Piastri, McLaren confirmed that they can be unbeatable in any aspect: dry pace, wet pace, driving, and strategic decision-making.

A prime example of this was the first stint on intermediate tyres after the restart from the first Safety Car period – arguably the only truly interesting phase to analyse from a data perspective within the 57 laps of a race filled with multiple interruptions.

We can see McLaren’s incredible superiority, as they were on average more than six-tenths per lap faster than Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver overtook Oscar Piastri at the start, but the Australian driver regained the position on lap 17.

At this point, the drivers had already started lapping in the high 1:29s, which marked the crossover point for slick tyres. And it was here that Verstappen began to struggle significantly, running on average a full second per lap slower than Norris and Piastri, reaching a delta of +15s in just 17 laps compared to the Australian.

Verstappen had no chance against McLaren at this pace. But a new Safety Car deployed after Fernando Alonso’s crash on lap 34 allowed the drivers to make the much-needed switch to slick tyres, bunching up the pack once again.

At this point, Red Bull attempted a different strategy from McLaren, fitting Verstappen with the medium tyre, hoping it would warm up faster, allowing him to attack on the restart and have a stronger first few laps than Norris and Piastri. This was also a smart move considering radar data suggested more rain could arrive soon.

And indeed, the strategy worked well. Verstappen was able to attack and put Piastri under pressure. The Australian driver struggled to keep his composure when the rain returned in the final sector of Albert Park, going off track and gifting the Red Bull driver P2.

The outcome could have been worse for the papaya team in just a matter of seconds. However, McLaren’s strategy engineers made a great call, bringing Norris into the pits to switch back to intermediates. It was a highly difficult decision because, in any case, Verstappen would have executed the opposite move to Lando, and had McLaren not called Norris into the pits, it would have been a certain victory for the Red Bull driver.

By delaying his pit stop, Verstappen remained on track as the race leader – the only time he was ahead of Norris in all 57 laps of the Grand Prix. At that moment, a red flag could have become his biggest ally, giving him an entirely unexpected victory.

In the final five laps after the restart caused by the last Safety Car, triggered by Gabriel Bortoleto and Liam Lawson, Verstappen was once again able to lap competitively, just as he had at the beginning of the race when the track was slightly wetter.

McLaren has built a rocket ship with its brand new MCL39 and early signs suggest Lando Norris and the pit wall crew are learning their mistakes in the 2024 season. Even when Norris and Piastri have had the opportunity to fight on track, the team has managed to set limits to prevent unnecessary time losses.

The 2025 season could be highly positive for the Woking team and for Norris if they continue to play their cards as well as they did in Australia. It all depends on them.
And one more thing is crystal clear: as long as Ferrari and Mercedes remain out of the equation, only one major threat remains: Verstappen and the Red Bull pit wall.

Both are specialists in trying to unsettle McLaren, waiting for chaos to strike so they can take advantage. But for now, in the first round, lacking the necessary pace, they have failed to make these tactics work.

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